Team STNL- A Quest for Closure
by Butterscotch1104
Summary: An OC Team Story. Follow Syrus Gallblack and company as they hunt Grimm, fight crime, and get decent grades. Background Monochrome.
1. Getting Started

**(A/N): I'm still new to this, but this basically my OC Team. Mostly it will follow Team STNL, but fans of Team RWBY and JPNR will also get plenty of love as well. It will diverge from cannon at some point, but you'll know when that happens ;D**

 **Until then, enjoy! Leave some feedback if you wanna.**

 **Syrus Gallblack**

"Welcome! Thank you for choosing Royal Knights Airlines, we hope you enjoy your flight!" Says a flight attendant in a practiced tone and a practiced smile on her face. I nearly have an aneurism out of frustration but I return her company required greeting with a smile. Within the past 12 hours, I have suffered numerous delays, nearly lost luggage twice, and gotten a minor case of food poisoning from a bag of peanuts. How the hell do you screw up peanuts?. Now it was time for my final connection, from Patch and straight on to Beacon.

I put my luggage in the rack above me and sigh as I try to massage my headache away. Least I got a window seat out of this mess. I've always hated fly-

"Hi!"

"Gawwfuck!" I shout and turn to my left, seeing a surprised girl in a red cloak and black battle skirt. Upon her pale face is a look of fear and guilt.

"Oh I'm sorry! I-I didn't mean to scare you!" She says. I notice her light gray eyes as I take stock. I probably scared this poor girl as much as she scared me.

"No no, It's fine. I'm... just wound up a bit." I explain. She stuffs a red suitcase in the compartment above and sits down next to me.

"Nervous flier?" She asks, relaxing a bit as I nod. "I wouldn't worry. Airship crashes are super super rare."

I chuckle a bit. "You say that like you're not trapped in a flying metal box with fifty other people."

She pauses for a second, before sticking her hand out. "Ruby Rose. Are you heading to Beacon?" Her eyes light up when she mentions the school. She must really be excited about this.

"Syrus Gallblack. And yes, I'm just trying to get there in one piece." I chuckle. My quip is lost upon her as she shakes my hand, mesmerized by my weapons.

I groan internally. Here we go with the questions that I hate to answer, usually among the lines of 'Why are you doing this thing?' 'How'd you lose your arms?' and several other imbecilic questions that I have to answer to keep up looks.

"They're..." Gaudy, tragic, inspirational etc. "So cool!" She decides with a huge grin.

That's not what I expected. "Uh, thank you?" I say, dipping my toe with this conversation. "Usually people get into some rhetoric about how tragic the world is or something but you're the first person to straight up admire them."

She giggles with a blush on her face. "Yeah, I'm a bit of a weapons nut. They're just so cool!" She takes a closer look at my hands.

"Thanks!" I find myself smiling. "They're called Golden Gambit" I proudly admire them with her. Golden Gambit looks like how you'd expect cybernetic arms to look, plated with gold painted nano carbon. Inside my fingers are inch long blades, curved wickedly to provide maximum cutting power, and on each palm is a Dust port, outfitted to also display my scroll info.

"So, what do you use?" I ask. I sit back and relax a little while she starts regaling me about her weapon and before I notice, we're up in the air. We spend the rest of the flight chatting and trading tales about our weapons, where they came from and how we've changed them over the years.

I feel a slight thud as the craft lands in Vale airport. We all file out, some civilians heading off to live their lives, and a handful of students getting on a large bus bound for Beacon. I fire off a quick text to Ozpin before I turn to Ruby.

"Well, this is where we part ways. I got some business to take care of, but I'll be there tonight." I say.

She looks like she's going to ask something, but thanks better of it before waving me off. I wait by the taxi zone for a cab, and look at the silver key. It was time to cash in.

* * *

 **Terra Mithas**

The minute I got off the air-shuttle, I felt two things while staring at the imposing structure known as Beacon. First was a blonde kid brushing past me to ralf up his lunch. The second was contempt. Not at the blonde kid with a bad stomach.

 _HURK_

...Not yet anyway. I felt contempt for this school. A prestigious battle academy known for its high standards and shockingly low repair bills. That's what it looks like on the surface anyway. I'm sure once I start digging, I'll find some dirty secret that they don't want anyone to get their hands on. Hopefully, I'll find something that will lead me to where I need to go.

"Ow! Stop it!" I hear a girl cry out. She's a little shorter than me, with brown hair and rabbit ears sticking out of her head. Currently some guy with dark orange hair and iron armor is pulling on said ears, and laughing it up all the while.

I don't even think about it, I reflexively start walking towards the problem.

"Hey!" I shout, getting his attention and hateful sneer.

"Oh well look at this." He says with a shit eating grin. "A freak coming to save a freak? How classic."

I ignore his remarks. "Leave her alone." I growl.

"Or what? Gonna whack me with your tail, freak?" He says, a small explosion nearby drawing his attention for a moment.

I take the chance and I grab his neck, leveling Igwe, one of my twin tomahawk revolvers, at his crotch. I relish in his reaction, like a deer trapped in headlights.

"Or I'll take you out of the gene pool." I smile wickedly. He glares at me for a second, but lets go and backs up.

"Wait until classes start, then we'll see how tough you are when your weapon is in your locker." He declarers, then turns to walk away. I put the empty gun back in the holster and sigh in relief. Good thing he didn't call my bluff.

"T-Thank you." Sniffles the rabbit Faunus, wiping tears from her eyes and rubbing her ears. "I really appreciate what you did." She starts to smile brighter now. "My name is Velvet Scarlatina."

"Terra Mithas. Do you need to see the nurse or something?" I ask. The pink insides of her ears look an irritated red from where that guy pulled.

"No, I'll be fine. Do you mind keeping me company until my girlfriend comes back from town?"

I nod, and begin walking with her as she gives me a half-hearted tour of the grounds while telling me her story. Apparently she was raised in a small village south of Vale, where there were two forms of entertainment: work and sex. Her parents did the former all day, and the latter all night, resulting in 6 children, of which Velvet was the youngest. She went on to study at a private battle academy before graduating to Beacon a couple of years ago.

"So, what's your story?" She asks, tilting her head slightly.

I hesitate slightly, before a joyful cry pierces the air.

"Velvs! Me and Yatsu are back!" I look over to see a pale woman with brown hair, a small wavy lock that transitions from brown to a bright red, clad in a light brown sweater, a black beret, and sunshades. Next to her was a hulking behemoth of a man, with a light brown complexion and a penchant for pale green. Despite his stature and giant sword, he was clutching several shopping bags in each hand, making him seem marginally less threatening.

"Coco!" Velvet yells, before running over and hugging her brown clad girlfriend. She gives the man named Yatsu a quick hug before waving me over. "This is Terra, she helped me out with some ass-hat earlier." She says.

Coco and Yatsu adopt a similar grimace for a split second before addressing me. "Thanks for helping my little bunny there, tiger. I may have to give you a little... reward later." She purrs out, while I blush furiously. I haven't known this girl for two minutes and every words directed at me is dripping with sex, in front of her girlfriend no less!

She keeps up her seductive facade up for a few more seconds before breaking out into a fit of giggles, while an unaffected Velvet rolls her eyes. "Would it kill you to not seduce my friends?" She asked.

"Oh but look at her face!" Coco gasped for air between fits of giggles. "She's so cute!" Her laughter finally ceases with a deep breath of air. I frown and sigh, clearly annoyed but also relieved that this Coco character isn't so blatant to actually flirt with other women in front of her girlfriend.

"You had better get to Ozpin's speech," Says Yatsu, in an incredibly deep voice. "It's starting in a few minutes."

I nod, saying brief goodbyes to all of them. What an interesting bunch.

I walk back to the auditorium hall, where there's a platinum blonde woman in a black skirt and a cape up on the main stage.

"Students, your headmaster would like to say a few words." She says simply, making way for a gray headed man in a green suit with a cane, but no limp to go along with it. Must be his weapon.

"I'll make this brief." Ozpin begins, "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge. To hone your craft and acquire new skills. And when you are finished, you plan to dedicate your lives to the protection of the people." This all sounds like standard Hunter rigmarole, whens he gonna- "But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose and direction. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

His speech sure seemed to rattle a few people. Murmurs about how it felt like he wasn't there at all. The caped woman steps up and gives a few instructions about tonight and tomorrow, before dismissing us. As soon as I step outside, I look to the largest tower, Ozpins office. That's where the info must be. Ill get it soon. Just need to be patient. I walk amongst the rest of the students, blending in seamlessly.

* * *

 **Nathan Alpine**

"He's so big..." "What do you think his weapon is?" "I don't know but his semblance is having a nice ass."

I sigh and close my book. I wasn't going to get any reading done while these harpies whisper about me. I stand up, grabbing my bedroll and taking an empty spot near a boy with jet black hair, furiously trying to solve a puzzle box.

"Fucking... ok you, I almost got you now..." _click_ "Son of a bitch!" He whispers furiously. "Goddamnit."

I clear my throat, getting his attention. He instantly looks apologetic. "Oh god I'm sorry. Did I wake you up-" He peers at the adhesive name tag that we wore for the 'Meat and Greet Dinner.' "Nathan Alpine?"

I shake my head. He instantly look relieved. "Ok good. I'd feel terrible if I did that. I'm just trying to solve this damn puzzle box, courtesy of my dear old dad." He glares at it probably trying to set it on fire or something. "Oh, my name is Syrus Gallblack by the way." He shakes my hand and goes back to the puzzle box, lightly cursing whenever it resets itself.

If he continues this into the night, its gonna be annoying as hell. I clear my throat, and hold out my hand. He stares at me for a moment, then places the box in my hand. He watches me intently as I observe the box. About the size of a tissue box, the puzzle box is made of a sturdy oak, covered in various buttons and switches. I go to work, testing out combinations while Syrus sits back with an anxious face. I wonder what has him so invested in this box?

After a few more minutes, I hear four sharp clicks and the lid of the box loosens. I quickly hand it back to him, not wanting to pry.

For a moment he looks at me like I slapped a Nevermore out of the sky thanking me feverishly, before running out of the ballroom.

What an odd guy. Oh well. I go back to reading my book, getting swept up in the story of two lovers, divided by a bloody war between two kingdoms.

Before I know it, the plot is resolved. Not happily, but resolved nonetheless. I look around, letting my eyes adjust from my moonlit reading. Everyone was either asleep or trying to get some sleep, and the Gallblack guy has his breathing at an even pace, with a slight grimace on his face as he slept.

I should get some sleep too. I wiggle deeper into my sleeping bag, trying to let sleep take me, but to no avail. Maybe some fresh air will do me good. I stand up and tiptoe around the other initiates, careful not to wake them. I step onto the balcony, taking in the shattered moon's pale light and the mid spring night chill, when I notice another person, sitting on the ground book in hand. Her pale skin is a sharp contrast to raven black hair. On top of her head sits large bow, subtly twitching every now and again.

"Oh." She says simply, going back to her book after briefly acknowledging my existence. I turn back to the moon, and stare at it. Eventually I feel my lids weighed down by exhaustion, and tip-toe back inside, digging into my bag once more.

* * *

 **Syrus**  
As I approach Ozpins elevator, conveniently located on the other side of Remnant, I quickly enter the staff access code, and step inside.

I'll never get over how cool his office is. Huge gears turning above and beside me, encased in green glass, giving the office an eerie glow in the shattered moons light. At the center is his desk and chair with a blonde woman in a white blouse finalizing the details of tomorrow.

She turns around, doing a double take while gripping her... riding crop? And people call Golden Gambit garish. "Student! What are you doing here? This is an area restricted to students unless-"

"Calm yourself Glynda." Says a calm voice. I lean over, spotting Ozpin sitting in his chair, drinking the best coffee in all of Vale. "Syrus is family." She glares at him for a second, before gathering a few files and walking towards the elevator.

"The rest will be sorted by tomorrow. Good night Professor." She says curtly, closing the elevator before Ozpin has time to return her good night.

We both are silent for a moment, before I start. "Yikes."

He gets a brief chuckle out before responding "Yikes indeed." He adjusts his glasses. "So, what is it? I assume there's a good reason you're breaking so many rules before classes begin?"

I nod, setting the puzzle box, sans lid, on his desk. "Remember that key you found? Turns out it was to a safety deposit box at First Vale Bank."

"And you found this?" Ozpin asks. I nod. "Huh, I remember getting this at some tourist trap in Mistral, and I gave it to your father as a gag gift." He begins to examine it, bringing back wistful memories of his friend. "A supposedly unsolvable puzzle box. He solved it within five minutes. May I ask what was inside?"

I set down a small black rectangle, with a silver port sticking out of the top. He scrunches his nose at it for a second. "A data stick?"

"I thought we should try it. It might be a clue." I say, trying not to let my nervousness show. He nods and plugs it into his computer, bringing up a holoscreen with a series of random letters and numbers filling the entire screen to the brim.

"I'm sorry, it's heavily encrypted." Ozpin takes it out of the slot and hands it back. I try not to let my disappointment show.

"Can't you decrypt it or something? You're really good with computers." I say, desperation leaking into my voice.

He sighs, taking a sip of coffee. "I suppose I could, though it would take a while. On top of that I have an obligation to run this school, so I can't shirk my duties as Headmaster either."

"Not asking you to." I look out through his window, stylized double as a clock. "I just want this whole affair sorted, and you're the best person who can do that. Plus you deserve to know as well."

He glares at the data stick, and looks at me with his rare, tired eyes. "I'll do it. You'll be the first to know when it's finished."

I nod, "Thanks, Uncle Ozpin." I say, getting on the elevator, and heading back to the ballroom for some much needed rest.

* * *

 **Lilly Embrass**

I wake up, stretching and loosening up for the day ahead, my million watt smile plastered onto my face. On my way to breakfast, I listen to the newly formed baseless conjecture mill churning out theories about what "initiation" is really all about. The theories ranged anywhere from a giant tournament between all the first years, to climbing a mountain for a single berry, to being dropped in the woods for a week to see if you survive. In any case, I'm more than ready.

I run through the basics of getting ready. A quick but heavenly shower, a hearty plate of proteins with a side of carbs for breakfast, and getting into our gear. I strap on my fanny pack, full to the brim with electric dust crystals, and fish out my colorful daggers. I run a systems check, making sure all forms of my weapons work before I'm sent to extract seven dangerous artifacts from a Grimm's nest or something like that.

The announcement hasn't been called yet, so I settle against a wall for a quick round of people watching. Over to the south side of the locker room is a huge mountain of a man, known as "Great Ass McGee" by some, others by Nathan Alpine. He sports two sheathed broadswords as well as a bandolier of fist sized balls in pouches. I don't think anyone has heard him speak. A few lockers down is a black haired kid with gaudy gold gauntlets. Oddly enough, they seem too small for regular hands to fit into. Maybe he has small hands, who knows?

A few lockers down from me is a brown haired tiger faunus, busy running through her weapons check. She seems to be sporting a pair of revolvers that can turn into some sort of bladed weapon. They both had elegant engravings in the silver handles, making them possibly very old, but well maintained.

I watch for a few more minutes, identifying people from the "Meat and Greet" social dinner. I consider catching the last of the breakfast service, before I see a blonde boy in a black hood trying to put the moves on both Pyrrah Nikos and Weiss Schnee. This of course ends in him getting thrown against the wall, pinned by Nikos' famous "invincible spear".

The PA system crackles to life with the announcement that initiation will take place at the cliffs west of the main building, signaling a mass exodus from the locker room. I walk up to him and offer my hand, which he gladly accepts.

"I got to admit, you got some courage on you." I say, draping my hand over his shoulder. "Flirting with the Invincible girl AND a Schnee at the same time? You are gonna make a LOT of kids with balls like those." He turns beet red, reeling from my comment. "I mean, you're a bit scraggly, and you could stand to beef up a little, but otherwise you're pretty cute. So don't let this get you down kid." His face looks hopeful, before adopting a half-assed predatory look. I silence him before he even opens his mouth. "Listen Juane, unless you happen to have another X chromosome on you, im going to have to respectfully decline." He looks down for a second, and before he can speak, the PA comes back to life, repeating the instructions for stragglers.

By the time I arrive at the cliffs, most if not all of the initiate group is there, standing on strange metal plates. The cliffs overlooked the beautiful Emerald Forest, teeming with flora and fauna and deadly Grimm who's sole purpose is to fuck up our day.

Once we're all on on the plates, Ozpin and Goodwitch begin their instructions for the initiation.

"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors regarding the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today." She says, tapping at her Scroll pad while Ozpin begins speaking again.

"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon, so it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." He takes a quick swig of coffee. "That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." I hear a terrified squeak towards my right. "After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy anything in your path, or you will die." I hear an audible gulp from the blonde bachelor. "You will be monitored and graded for the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene."

"You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one, and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, including your standing, and grade you appropriately. Now, are there any questions?" Jaune attempts to speak up before being cut off. "Good! Now take your positions."

I spread out my feet, keeping my knees bent but loose as the first pad launches a student. Then another, then another, to the tune of terrified whimpers and excited war cries. Finally, I feel two solid clicks underneath me before being flung into the air, joining the other initiates as we're flung into the frey.

* * *

 **Syrus**

I knew initiation wouldn't be a cake walk, but I didn't expect to literally be thrown into the deep end. Oh well, no matter. Least this is a good time to test Golden Gambit's new impact motor.

As I begin to dip towards the tree line, I deploy my hooked claws and take aim. My left hand shoots out, tethered by a tremendously sturdy cable. Once it makes a satisfying thunk, I use the Dust jet in my right palm to slow down a bit. Before long I land safely at the foot of the huge tree, my left hand taking a few seconds to reel in.

I brush myself off, and begin heading north, towards the supposed temple. I'll probably end up meeting someone on the way over. As I walk, I take yet another inventory check. Golden Gambit was full up on 3 vials of Burn Dust, 2 vials of Ice Dust, and 1 vial of Surge Dust. All the motors acting as my tendons were ship shape, and there were no issues with either my grapple nor my claws. Nothing was wrong, everything is fine, and im totally not getting bored.

Walking by yourself in a forest with nothing to think about for 30 minutes is bad enough, but considering the adrenaline rush that I was coming off of, that made time go even slower if that were possible.

Finally, I hear some of the worlds most beautiful sounds: gunshots. Due east a bit, but not deviating from my goal. I pop the bones in my neck, and start running towards the source of the gunfire.

Time to make some new friends.

* * *

 **Terra**

How the hell I get into these messes i'll never know. I knew infiltrating a prestigious battle academy in hopes of finding a dark secret would have it's complications but I never expected to be literally thrown into the deep end. I also never expected to encounter two Ursa Minors and one Major while walking towards these mysterious artifacts.

I was no stranger to dealing with Ursa Minors. They frequently peppered the woods back on Menagerie, and a weekly chore would be to kill off any that got brave enough to wander near the Ranch's fence. A chore that I never did alone, always with Tobias...

I shake the thought as one of the Minors comes charging at me. I block it's strike with my Aura, and leap back, taking a few pot shots that only seem to piss it off. After a bone-shaking roar, It rushes me again, making a large claw mark in the tree behind me.

Deploying Ala and Igwe's tomahawk form, I deliver four quick swipes to the Minors stomach, before leaping away from the others paw swipe. Before I can react, I feel the cold damp breath of the Major behind me. It bats me against the base of a tree like a pest, and I take a few seconds to let my head stop ringing, only to see all three rushing me.

To my left, I hear someone yelling "Hello new friend!", as five concussive rounds plant themselves on the family of Grimm. They stumble back, and a boy with black hair, a dark sweater, black jeans and golden clawed gauntlets jumps in front.

"Can you stand?" He asks, immediately concerned with me.

I stand up, ignoring the ache in my abdomen, and deploy my weapons, combining them into a double sided ax. "You take the left one, I'll take the right." I tell him, charging off.

I sidestep a clawed swipe, retaliating with a heavy blow to the stomach, followed by a decisive cleave through its neck. Its angry head rolls off, beginning to dissolve. Over towards the edge of the clearing, the black haired kid holds his own against the Minor, managing to deliver multiple slashes across its chest, before tearing its throat out with a decisive swipe.

As the Minor falls to the ground, the huge paw of the Major bats him towards me. He does a quick roll, gaining back his balance. It looks to us with hateful eyes, and then charges. We both charge to opposite sides, pounding it with gun shots and concussive fire blasts.

"Get ready to take its head off!" Shouts the black haired kid. I shift my revolvers into their battle ax form, and extend the handle for more leverage. He rushes in, delivering blow after blow and delivers a sweep to the legs, felling it on its back. I will a stump to rise from the ground using my Semblance, then bring down the ax and separating the Majors head from its body.

Panting slightly, we take a moment to catch our breath. I find my hands shaking slightly from the adrenaline withdrawal, but I ignore it.

"That was pretty awesome." The guy says. "I'm Syrus Gallblack by the way."

"Terra Mithas." I put Ala and Igwe back into their respective holsters, and continue heading north.

We walk for a few minutes in silence before Syrus begins speaking again. "So, whats your semblance? Plant control?"

I furrow my brow, annoyed by his attempts to socialize. We didn't need to be conversing. "I can recreate Nature's memory using my aura, there was a tree stump there long ago. I simply made Remnant recall it." I can practically feel his eyes sparkle in wonder.

"Wow, that's really cool! Mine is a bit less dramatic, it's just a glyph that-"

I spin around to face him, making him stumble back a bit. "Why are you asking me these questions? Why do you want to know so much about me, huh?" I glare daggers at him. All these questions are starting to annoy me. Was he sent by Ozpin to keep an eye on me?

"Uh, we're _partners_." He says, looking offended and confused. "Far be it from me to find out a bit more about who I'm working with for the next four years of my life."

He... does have a point. Before I can say anything or apologize, he walks off towards the objective. I'm going to have to apologize to him later, but the thought still remains. Did Ozpin send him? Have I been caught onto? I push the thought out of my head and remember my brothers' words: _One thing at a time_

* * *

 **Syrus**

Terra and I continue to walk towards the north cliff side, meeting heavy resistance along the way. So far the score is 34-38, with Terra in the lead, mostly due to her having more range, but the near constant stream of Grimm attacks has at least fended off the awkward silence that enveloped us.

From what I've observed about her so far, she seems to be distant to say the least. Almost any attempt to talk about her or me has been met with hostility or dodging the question entirely. Maybe she just doesn't do people well. Like, at all. The most I could get out of her so far is that shes not from Vale, and that her father owns a ranch.

After a while, the Grimm were thinning out, and we came to a clearing, where a crumbling stone pavilion held pedestals, each with... chess pieces? Im going to have to talk to Ozpin about subtle themes.

"Wow, I wonder what happened here." Terra asks, pointing to a smattering of Nevermore feathers, half dissolved, and a giant spike of ice, half broken, like something escaped.

"Looks like one hell of a party, one that im glad we missed." I saunter over to the pedestals, and take quote of whats missing. White Knight and Rook are missing, along with Black Bishop and Queen. "How's being a Black Knight sound?"

Before Terra can respond, we hear the sound of twigs snapping, and ready our weapons, pointing them towards the edge of the clearing.

"Ugh, I told you it was this way!" Said a voice, belonging to a petite girl with platinum blonde hair tied up in a ponytail. Her arrival wouldn't be so strange, had she not been riding on the shoulders of Nathan, who was just shy of 7 ft tall with a muscular build.

He pouts a little, tilting his head down as if saying 'Sorry'. After being set down she trots over, looking among the pieces, until she picks up the other black knight piece.

"I assume this would make us a team now right?" She said, pocketing her own piece. "Oh, I'm Lilly Embrass by the way. That's Nathan Alpine. He doesn't talk much." Nathan offers a simple wave as greeting, scanning for any approaching Grimm.

This sure could turn out to be an inte-

 _ROOOOOAR_

My train of thought is derailed by a guttural cry from the forest west of us. My hair stands on end as I recognize the roar.

"Guys, we need to leave." I say, running towards the northern end of the clearing.

"Syrus, we aren't incompetent." Says Terra, almost taking offense to my suggestion to retreat. "We have been trai-"

"NOW!" I shout at them, the urgency in my voice apparent. They spend a brief glance and a worried look, following me as I sprint between the trees and through the bushes.

I truly want to be wrong about this, but deep in my heart I know I'm not.

* * *

 **Nathan**

Someone once said "The first emotion that man ever felt was fear." They weren't wrong. To become a Huntsman or a Huntress is to stare death and destruction in the face and not waver. Feeling fear was fine. Fear kept mankind in one piece, but choosing to stay and fight despite the risks was what separated civilians and Hunters.

So when a Hunter, even in training, feels the overwhelming urge to flee, its probably for the best to listen.

Currently, Syrus is in front, with Terra keeping up with him. Lilly is right next to me, jumping over the brush and bramble I choose to stampede through. The roar is closer now, I can feel it reverberating in my chest.

"So what's chasing us?" Asked Terra, cutting a tree branch out of her path. "How do we fight it."

"We don't. We run, and pray that they send a Bullhead with a fucking missile launcher." He says eyes forward, running towards the cliff we were flung off of.

"Whats after us dammit!" Says Lilly. She seems like such a carefree girl, even when fighting a deluge of Grimm. But now, she was terrified.

"Leo, Class A Grimm. Only one huntress ever defeated one single-handedly, and she's a goddamned legend."

My heart suddenly quickens, reverberating with the loud roar that was now much closer. I take a glance back to see what we're dealing with.

Big mistake.

It's big, the biggest Grimm I've ever seen outside of a Goliath. it runs on 4 powerful legs, plated with white bony armor, with claws like scythe blades and a blood red mane. This was the kind of creature that could destroy entire towns. This was fear, given form.

"Cliff!" Says Terra, pointing at the large bottomless gap between us and Beacons cliff. We were running out of ground.

"I have an idea. Grab my hand, and form a chain!" He says, holding out his hand. Terra quickly takes his hand, as well as mine as i grab Lilly's. "And whatever you do, don't let go!"

Wait, he isn't going to...

And suddenly, we were above the canyon. The cliff face meets me, and the impact makes my vision go white, but I still manage to hang on to Lilly. I look up, and see Syrus' clawed hand sunken into the rock.

As I turn, I catch sight of the Leo, powerful legs blindly propelling it into a canyon, smacking into said canyon wall, then falling what seems to be miles before making a faint but final thud.

Its a chore and a half to get up to the cliff, and we're met with the sight of Glynda Goodwitch chewing out Ozpin like flavorless gum.

"-If that Leo had come another ten feet I would have to be making phone calls to their family, explaining why we sat by twiddling our thumbs whilst a Class A Grimm Murdered four Hunters in training!" She said, waving her crop up and down.

"Im going to agree with her on this." Says Syrus, looking somewhere on the spectrum of tired and pissed. "I mean I've heard of throwing someone to the wolves but that was a bit extreme."

"But look what you've accomplished: defeating a Class A Grimm, and its not even the-"

 _HYURK_

Ozpins speech is interrupted by Syrus, throwing up in a neatly trimmed hedge, while Lilly rubs his back. He huffs a little, like he's sad that he wont make another aloof sounding speech.

"Fine, simply hand me your pieces and you will be evaluated for your efforts." Says Goodwitch, reigning in her anger. I hand her both of the Dark Knight pieces. "Go wash up, the Ceremony is in a few hours."

As we walked to our dorms, we all shared a simultaneous thought. 'We better get extra credit for this.'

* * *

 **Syrus**

"Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long. You four have retrieved the White Knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose." Ozpin says, gazing proudly upon his little prodigy project.

After a decent meal, a short nap, and a nice hot shower, I can gladly say that my mood has improved. Slightly.

Everyone's still pissed at Ozpin for varying reasons, but the fact that he left us high and dry when a Class A wanted to take a bite out of our asses meant he either had the utmost faith in my abilities, or that that cloak and dagger shit he does in his office is finally getting to him.

"And finally, Syrus Gallblack, Terra Mithas, Nathan Alpine, and Lilly Embrass. You four have retrieved the Black Knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as team STNL, led by Syrus Gallblack." The crowd applauds again, launching us into the next four years.


	2. Settling In

**Terra**

This is pure torture. Pain courses through every fiber of my being. I'd give anything to be out of this situation. The agony is nearly indescribable, and my hope for freedom has long since been-

RIIIINNNGG

Oh thank god.

"Ah, where does the time go?" Says Peter Port, twirling his mustache after finishing yet another one of his heroic stories. I lost track of everything after the Schnee girl skewered that Boarbatusk and stormed out.

"Fuck, they should call that story telling class." Says Syrus on my left. "Then I'd know to bring a pillow."

"Exactly." I say. After my little... outburst in the forest, I decided to not having my guard up 24/7 could be a good thing. I'd still have to be careful. "You'd think that there'd be more learning." He gives a half-hearted shrug.

"Welcome to Beacon I guess." Syrus says, checking our team schedule using his scroll. "Next it says we got Combat Training in the Amphitheater."

"Maybe our teacher won't be boring." Lilly says, being half carried by Nathan. She was the first casualty of Grimm Studies, falling asleep as soon as Port said 'Deeeemons!'

* * *

 **Syrus**

Be careful what you wish for. I'm not that surprised, but I'm slightly disappointed to see Glynda Goodwitch walking out with her Scroll in hand.

"Good afternoon students. As you know, you've all traveled to Beacon to improve your skills as Huntsmen and Huntresses. This means improving your skills in combat." She seems to glare at Team JPNR's Leader as she says that. "That means this is a pass-fail course. Show significant improvement, and you will pass. Show no improvement and you will most assuredly fail."

I hear the audible gulps from around me.

"Now then, we will be doing preliminary combat trials today and the rest of next week." She taps a few buttons on her scroll and several faces get paired with each other. "The battles shall be between Blake Belladonna and Lilly Embrass, Lie Ren and Nathan Alpine, Cardin Winchester and Juane Arc, and finally Yang Xiao Long and Syrus Gallblack. Miss Belladonna and Embrass, please report to the stage."

They both begin to size each other up, thinking about possible dangers and threats while formulating their own victory stratagem. The buzzer sounds, and they both leap into action.

Blake takes initiative first, clashing her blade and sheath against Lilly's daggers. Lilly leaps back, sending out a volley of throwing knives, only to have them skillfully deflected by Blakes sheath. Blake shifts her Gambol shroud to pistol mode, taking pot shots at Lilly. While she does manage do deflect them with her daggers, a few manage to slip buy and take a bit of her aura. Reaching into her fanny pack, she pulls out over a dozen of her knives, tossing them all in the air at once.

"That's a good zoning move." I hear Juane observe. "No matter how nimble Blake is, if she deflected those Lilly would have a ticket straight to her face." His baby blue eyes are watching the battle intensely.

"Forcing a confrontation either way. It also neutralizes Blake's mid-range too." I say, watching as Blake is forced to defend from the onslaught of Lilly's daggers.

"Blake's trump card in this fight is her semblance. I wonder if Lilly's can match up." Juane continues.

"Personally I don't think its the only deciding factor. Every time Blake uses her semblance her overall aura is reduced. She cant continue it forever." I finally see what Lilly is up to, and I smile. "But you aren't wrong about semblance playing a major role."

Hit after hit, Blake is unknowingly dodging into a trap that Lilly has set up since the beginning of the fight. Lilly smiles sweetly, and puts her daggers back in the sheath, being eyed warily by Blake.

"Are... you surrendering?" Blake asks. Lilly gives her a genuine saccharine face.

"Nope." And with that, Lilly activates her semblance. The distinct smell of ozone wafts in, as all my hair stands on end. Blake and the circle of daggers are engulfed in a powerful lightning blast as the buzzer sounds almost immediately afterwards.

Blake falls over, muscles spasming, but otherwise she seems okay.

"The winner is Lilly Embrass. Though I would advise you to not use so much of your semblance next time. A few seconds longer and you could have severely injured Miss Belladonna." Goodwitch scolds. As Ruby helps carry black out, Lilly comes back with her first victory. She did win, but now everyone has seen that trap, and only an idiot would fall for it. I'd have to help her get better at her dagger play to make it more reliable.

"Next up is Lie Ren versus Nathan Alpine. Please report to the stage." A boy with magenta striped black hair stands up, dressed in Southern Vale garb, and makes his way to the arena. Nathan meets him there seconds later, eyeing him down.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see Blake being assisted by Ruby back into her seat, her muscle spasms are small and infrequent now that shes had a second to recover. I think only for a second but did her bow just twitch? No, its probably just her scalp having a spasm.

As the buzzer sounds I turn my attention back to the arena, where Ren is playing keep-away with Nathan, unloading Storm Flower on him. The caliber is small, but the ammo supply is massive and the target is rather big. Nathan's got to get up close and end this rather quickly. He turns a dial on his Cru, and the head adopts a light blue glow.

With a grunt, Nathan brings down the hammer, turning almost the entire floor to ice. Ren is apparently unfamiliar with how to battle on ice, as he uses Stormflower's blades to stabilize himself on the ice. Big mistake.

Nathan takes a leap into the air, bringing down the now glowing red head of Cru. With a grunting shout, the hammer makes contact where Ren was not a second before. The explosion melts all the ice at once. Creating a cold steam that hangs over the arena.

"Did he just blind himself?" Juane asks incredulously.

"I... I don't honestly know..." I say. Did this guy even study how Dust types interact?

The answer comes thirty seconds later with a buzzer sounding, showing Nathan with his aura in the red. Once the steam clears, Ren helps him up, despite his size and gives a humble bow. Nathan doesn't seem too torn up about his defeat, and returns the bow.

"The match goes to Lie Ren. Mr. Alpine, I suggest you study up on how Dust types react to each other." Goodwitch says, tapping a few more icons on her Scroll. "Next is Cardin Winchester and Juane Arc, please report to the arena."

Juane stands, and makes his way to the locker room to get ready. He doesn't walk like the others. Just by his gait you could tell that he doesn't have much training, if any. Having such a simple weapon doesn't help either. Swords and shields could have a million uses, but to the untrained or unimaginative they were for slashing and blocking. Juane certainly wasn't the latter but he was most definitely the former.

The buzzer sounds and I feel every natural muscle left in my body cringe. His form isn't tight. His handling is sub-par. The only thing I can't critique is his tactics. He avoiding blocking, mainly dodging and avoiding Cardin's exploding mace. I can also see Glynda glaring at him. She knows something is funky.

It's only a solid minute and a half when the buzzer goes off again, with Juane's aura well in the red. This kid needs some training, badly.

"The match goes to Cardin Winchester. Mr. Arc I suggest you begin improving very quickly. Otherwise you wont last here." I can hear his gulp from my seat as Cardin haughtily laughs at Juane's misfortune. "You on the other hand, Mr Winchester need to greatly improve how you handle your mace. You cannot only rely on the explosive Dust at the center." He mumbles something and retreats into the locker room to change back into his uniform.

"For our final bout of today, we have Syrus Gallblack versus Yang Xiao Long. Please report to the arena."

I take a deep breath, and stand, walking to the lockers. Looks like I'm up.

* * *

 **Terra**

I hear some loud whispers from all around me, theories on how strong either Syrus or Yang are, who trained who, and petty 5 Lien bets. I block them out, drawing my attention back to the arena, where Yang is doing some stretches with a look surefire confidence on her face.

A few seconds later, Syrus enters with his black sweater, sleeves rolled up to show more of his golden arms. Were they painted the same tone as his flesh, it'd be hard to tell if they were fake, but the golden paint, along with the segmenting lines make them impossible to mistake for real. His face adopts a serious look, and begins what looks like posing but must be a part of his style.

He takes three steps in total, arms making different fighting poses with each step, punctuating the last one with a blast of steam from between the segmented plates.

"Did I miss anything?" I hear Juane ask his partner.

"No, you're just in time" Pyrra says.

The buzzer begins the match, and both launch themselves at each other. They meet in the middle, Syrus' kick blocking Yang's punch. They both quickly disengage and leap back in, becoming a flurry of blocked or parried punches.

Syrus takes Yang by surprise, using an arrow glyph on the floor to drive his left knee into her stomach. Winded from the attack, she stumbles back only to get a nasty uppercut that launches her upward. Miraculously she recovers in mid-air, and launches down a volley of concussive blasts. Syrus can't dodge all of them, and is forced to tank them at the cost of a good chunk of his aura. Smoke and debris fly around him, obscuring him from view. He fires off a few glowing Ice Dust blasts, only one hitting her left arm, temporarily jamming one of her weapons.

She slams her frozen gauntlet into the ground just as Syrus speeds out of the dust cloud. Before she can line up a shot, Syrus does a twist and connects his elbow with Yang's head, completely sidestepping her left arm. What seems to be an instant later, a shot from her gauntlet goes off, propelling her elbow into Syrus' stomach. She fires off a few more body shots, before going for a haymaker aimed directly at his face.

Syrus gets a nasty chunk out of his aura meter, and flies back before tumbling a few times and skidding to a stop. Both of their auras appear to be at the halfway point, but neither of them looks like they're gonna go on the defense any time soon.

They circle around each other, waiting for the other to make a move, perfecting their strategy for the next few seconds.

Syrus takes the initiative, deploying his claws and swiping left and right while the blonde back flips out of reach. As she lands she adopts a smug grin, and looks like shes going to taunt, until what looks like a strand of hair flies in front of her. For a second, incredulous disbelief. Then, she exploded.

* * *

 **Syrus**

"If you wanna know what kind of person someone is, piss them off." That's what Madame Silvaire once said to me. Even if by accident, knowing what kind of person someone is invaluable information. A few seconds ago I found out that Yang is a girl who deeply deeply cared about her hair. This wasn't just anger, this was rage. Whatever her semblance is, it's made her very powerful very fast, and that's always an issue.

I knew I wouldn't be able to match up with her strength now. All I could do is match for speed and hopefully bring her aura down. I had only one shot before I started getting creamed.

"Final Gambit." I say, activating Golden Gambit's ace in the hole. Steam shoots out of the segmented plates, and every bit of machinery gets overclocked. I had about a minute and a half before I'm boned. I barely have time to block Yang's punch, which rattles me to the core. I sidestep and deliver a strong kick to her side, only to be caught and thrown across the arena. I catch myself, only to get engaged in another rapid fire exchange of punches and kicks, each one seemingly stronger than the last. A square kick to the chest throws me back, and I decide to take an even bigger risk.

I fling myself straight at her, my fist poised to deliver a devastating haymaker. I don't know if it will work, but I don't have enough time to care. I'm only a meter from her when my time runs out. I feel my arms disengaging, and I have time for one more thought as Yang's fist hurls at me.

 _Fuck._

Blackness, then light, then pain. This is how I woke up, my arms several yards away from me, still making steam with the air, and an unbelievable amount of pain from my lower back.

"-the most brutish display of power I have ever seen!" I heard Goodwitch scream at a horrified Yang. Oh god shes feeling horrible isn't she? Using the bit of energy I have left, I stand up, much to the protest of my back.

"Glynda!" She turns to me, worried, but then narrows her eyes. I press on, determined. "See? I'm fine! Fit as a fiddle." A sharp pain causes me to wince and suck in my breath. "Soon as someone helps pop my back."

Yang jogs over, and presses on my back, popping something back into place and sending relief rushing in.

"Oh fucking yes you're my new favorite person." I gasp out. I pop my neck and walk over to my right arm, laying down so I can line up the lock. Once the magnets secure it in place, I walk over to my left and re-attach it using my right. "See? Right as rain!" I say, ignoring the dull throb in my back.

Goodwitch narrows her eyes at me, not forgetting I called her Glynda, and turns to face the bleachers. "The winner is Miss Xiao Long, by way of aura depletion. I would suggest you put a little more strategy into your fighting next time Mr Gallblack."

I nod, then head off to my side's locker room. Boy, what a woman.

* * *

 **Weiss Schnee**

Weiss Schnee was a woman on a mission. A mission of... apology. After talking to Port she realized that she had been unreasonable towards Ruby, asking her partner to prove herself an invaluable team leader in the span of a day, whilst claiming that she did nothing to earn her spot. It's not like she had come up with the plan to slay the Nevermore. Or the idea to save space using improvised bunk beds. In fact this trip to the library was going to be the best idea she's had all day.

While leaving Ruby in their room to nurse her overly-sweet coffee, Weiss had elected herself to bring her leader some better study materials from the Library. After about twenty minutes of browsing the shelves, she found some infinitely helpful Grimm anatomy guides, along with a recent Dust manipulation guide. She'd turn her partner into an academic yet!

Her eyes wandered over to a CCT Terminal, and she felt a question she had in the back of her mind surface once more. Why did Syrus Gallblack sound so familiar? The name felt like it had firmly attached itself on the tip of her tongue, and had no intention of letting go.

"It wouldn't hurt to check." The heiress muttered to herself. She made a call to SDC headquarters, and practiced her fake smile while waiting for an answer. The face of Carol, her father's secretary, appeared on the screen.

"Schnee Dust Company, how may I... Oh! Miss Schnee, what surprise!" Weiss upped her fake smile a bit. "Your father just left his office, but I could transfer the call to his Scroll if you wish to speak with him."

"That won't be necessary, I actually need an employee file." A questioning look crossed Carol's face, and the heiress began fleshing out her lie. "We're doing a project on people who aren't Hunters, but have made a huge impact in helping people." The suspicion faded out of her eyes, and Carol returned to her courtesy smile.

"Of course Miss Schnee. Who did you have in mind?" Carol asked.

"I heard his name a few times, I believe it's Gallblack?" Weiss gave herself a mental pat on the back. Her plan was working stunningly well so far.

"Gallblack..." Carol went to work, tapping a few buttons on her workstation before adopting a confused look. "Miss Schnee, I'm sorry you're not permitted to view this file. You'd have to talk to your father to gain access."

 _Oh that won't do, not at all._

"Really? I had assumed that Father had told you to open access by now, unless of course, you forgot." A twinge of guilt ran through Weiss, hating to use her position to get information like this, but she needed to know.

"Oh! My apologies, It must have slipped my mind. Ill begin the transfer right away." Carol said, a thin smile covering her anger. She knew by now that when a person above your station told you something, it was the gospel truth.

A slight ding from Weiss' Scroll told her the transfer was complete. Weiss quickly removed it, eager to view the document.

"Will that be all today Miss Schnee?" Carol asked, sounding more like a plea than a question.

"I believe so yes. Thank you for your time Carol." She said, ending the call and sighing to herself. She felt a bit dirty, but in the end it was worth it.

Weiss expanded her Scroll and opened the file, locked behind a password screen bearing her family crest. She began typing and rolled her eyes at her fathers password choice: **Schneedustcompany0812**.

The file opened up to the face of a friendly looking man with jet black hair, tied up in a ponytail.

 **Richard D. Gallblack (DECEASED)**

 **Position: Lead researcher**

 **Family: Son(1): Syrus Gallblack**

Memories that Weiss had forgotten came rushing back, bringing a tear to her eye, but kept reading the file. During his time at the SDC, Dr. Gallblack had apparently contributed over 30 inventions that made the world more efficient. His Electronic Surge Diffuser was the reason CCT towers didn't need to shut down during thunderstorms anymore. The Micron Energy Scanner was the reason raw Dust could be refined within 98.94% purity. Paragraph after paragraph listed what Dr Gallblack improved and streamlined.

Weiss scrolled down to the bottom, where she found a newspaper article.

 **Dark Day for the SDC, Brilliant Researcher Struck down In His Prime**

 **Yesterday, Dr. Richard D. Gallblack was found dead in his basement, where an apparent Dust accident caused the home to explode and partially cave in. A Huntsman, who wished to remain unnamed, was walking by when the explosion occurred, and braved the flames to rescue Dr. Gallblack's son, Syrus Gallblack. At the time of writing, Syrus is still listed as in critical condition at Vale Metropolitan Hospital.**

 **We reached out to the Schnee Dust Company CEO, Victor von Schnee, for comment.**

 **"What happened to Richard is a tragedy; he was a brilliant scientist, and an even better man. We will spare no expense on the treatment of his son. We at the SDC owe him that and so much more. He will be dearly missed."**

Weiss wiped a tear from her eye. She remembered having to travel with her father all the way to Vale to attend Dr. Gallblack's funeral. How somber her father was when giving the eulogy, how he didn't speak for the better part of a month. It was the day that Victor Von Schnee stopped being a father and became her taskmaster. Business Lessons, Combat Training, Dust Theory, Weiss could hardly remember a day where she was worn out physically and mentally by tutor after tutor, all in the name of "getting stronger".

The White Fang didn't help matters either. Board members and family members, business partners and shipments of Dust, all stolen from Victor on a near weekly basis. He stopped being silent, but only to have it be replaced with rage and anger. No one could so much as mention the White Fang around him without the room dropping ten degrees.

Her father meant well, truly he did, but she couldn't deny how much of a relief it was to leave that mansion behind for the next four years. She looked to the pile of books she had selected for her partner, and gathered them up. She'd make an academic out Ruby for sure, but perhaps a bit later. Her glorious leader needed her rest after all.

But as she turned off Ruby's lamp and replaced her textbook with a pillow to drool on, a consistent, burning question stuck in Weiss' mind.

 _Does he remember me?_


End file.
